Conrad Johnson ACT2 against Audio Research Ref 3

Oneobgyn, I usually agree with you but

FWIW.... The perfect preamp is no preamp at all

Maybe, but in my opinion it's kind of like a car with no transmission.

Sure, a car with no transmission is lighter, fewer parts to move, and less mass "in the way" for the engine to drive the rear wheels. However, matching load for the most efficient power transfer is frequently more important than removing the "excess" parts.

It's true this opinion is based on my experience with (primarily) analog source, and my choice requires both a preamp and moving coil step up stage.

Looking at the bright side though, my preamp and phono are only 300 pounds and 6 boxes, each about the size of your amps. The sound is wonderful and you hardly notice the preamps when your not home.

Hi Albert

I usually agree with you as well but your analogy is wrong in this case.

Having said this however I really would never part with my ARC Ref 3 in my system.

Then, you did not sell your preamp.

I guess I don't understand why you said better without one. I assumed you had given up on the ARC.

Just a bit of sharing. My personal opinion is you should upgrade the source first. The sony SCD-1 seems to be the weakest link in the system. I am not sure if you mainly listen to redbook CD or SACD. If it's the former, I strongly suggest upgrade the CD source first. It has a profound effect of the overall sound. The reason is I have previously owned the SCD-1 and it's hugely disappointing for playing regular CDs.

Personally, I am using CJ 16 preamp, CJ premier 350 power. Previously, I have also owned CJ premier 12 monoblock, ARC LS25 and Ref 2 Mk 2 preamp. I think the choice between CJ and ARC shouldn't be difficult at all since they have a distinct taste in their own good. In my city(HongKong), the ACT2 cost almost double the price of Ref3!

I listen to more redbook CD than SACD. Upgrading the source is next in my list of things to to. Maybe next week i will buy the Cary 306. For right now, I just wanted to focus on buying a nice preamp and the rest of the system will be built or upgraded around it later as needed. Thanks for your advice.Ginas